Many of us remember the story of Medusa from mythology. With snakes for hair and a face to match, she was so horrific to look at, that anyone who saw her turned to stone. (insert your own horrible date story here). The idea that something is so bad that it can’t even be acknowledged seems far-fetched, but it actually hits pretty close to home.
One of the most difficult things in life is to take an honest look at yourself. To admit all of the ugly things that you are not proud of that are lurking in your heart. Support group folks know this task as Step 4, taking a fearless moral inventory. For many of us the idea of being completely honest about how messed up we truly are seems overwhelming. We can’t bear to look at it any more than people dared to look at Medusa. But there are important reasons for taking a courageous look at your own heart:
Hiding Isn’t Healing
The mess is there whether you acknowledge it or not. You can ignore it if you want to, but it won’t go away. The bad decisions, selfishness, and arrogance inside of us will fester and grow if we ignore it. The damage that comes from not looking is worse than anything we will feel when we are honest with ourselves about it.
God Is Bigger
God’s forgiveness is bigger than your mess. Actually, it’s not even close. It’s not that my mess is small, it’s just that my God is so very big. His mercy is greater than you ever imagined. His forgiveness knows no limits. Best of all, He doesn’t want you to carry around that guilt and shame anymore.
You’re Not Alone
God is not waiting for you to clean up your mess before He shows up in your life. God wants to be a part of the cleaning-out process with you. God doesn’t want you to fix yourself (you can’t anyway). He wants to partner with you as you address one thing at a time. Piece by piece, day by day, God will heal those broken places inside of us, and leave something beautiful in its stead.
So, if you have been putting off an honest, hard look at your life, today is your chance to move in a different direction. God isn’t surprised by your failings and He won’t leave you alone with your messes.